Tunnel pasteurization co-packers

Sealed cans and bottles heated on a conveyor. Beer, juice blends, functional drinks. Every fact is checked against the manufacturer's own published information, with the date we checked it.

Tunnel pasteurization heats drinks after they are sealed. Filled cans or bottles travel on a conveyor through zones of heated water spray, typically bringing the product to around 140°F (60°C), and the heat dose is measured in pasteurization units, or PUs¹².

In this directory it appears almost entirely at beverage plants: carbonated, functional, alcoholic, juice and ready-to-drink tea and coffee. The details that decide fit are the can sizes the filler runs and the size of the smallest run, and several of these plants publish both, listed below.

Rows of green glass bottles on a conveyor in a beverage filling plant

In this directory

13 plants in this directory state tunnel pasteurization on their own websites. They are spread across 15 states, with the most in Texas, Michigan and North Carolina. 7 publish a minimum order, 7 state a GFSI-benchmarked certificate and 9 say they take startups or pilot runs.

13plants

7publish a minimum

7state a GFSI certificate

9take startups or pilot runs

What they make

Alcoholic beverages9
Carbonated drinks9
Functional drinks9
RTD tea and coffee8
Water5
Juice4
Shots and concentrates2
Baby and kids food1

Packages they fill

Aluminum cans12
Glass bottles3
Kegs3
Plastic bottles2
Bag-in-box1
Bags and flexible film1
Bulk and foodservice1
Single-serve cups1

Certifications they state

Kosher5
SQF5
USDA Organic5
GMP4
HACCP4
Certified gluten-free3
FSSC 220002
Halal1

Can and bottle sizes these plants publish

Big Beverages Contract Manufacturing12 oz sleek and 16 oz aluminum cans with 202 ends, pre-printed or pre-labeled
Carolina Beverage GroupCan sizes 6.75 oz, 8 oz, 8.4 oz, 10.5 oz, 12 oz sleek, 12 oz standard, 16 oz, 24 oz and 24 oz resealable CapCan (lug closure); can ends 200, 202, 206, 209
Craftsmith BeverageCans: 12 oz standard, 12 oz sleek, 16 oz, 19.2 oz
Eagle Park Brewing CompanyCans: 7.5 oz sleek, 12 oz standard, 12 oz sleek, 16 oz standard, 19.2 oz standard
MetaBrand CorpHot and cold fill PET and glass line, 0.5 oz to 32 oz
NOBL BeveragesCans (Ball and Crown only): 12, 16, 19.2 oz regular; 7.5, 8, 12 oz sleek
Portland Bottling CompanyCans: 8.4 oz, 12 oz sleek, 12 oz standard, 16 oz standard
Proper Beverage Co.Cans with 202 ends: 8 oz sleek, 8.4 oz sleek, 12 oz sleek, 12 oz standard, 16 oz standard; most 200 end slim cans on contract
Red Boot BeverageCans 200 ml, 8.4 oz sleek, 12 oz sleek and standard, 16 oz and 19.2 oz
RTD Co-PackKHS Innofill Can C filler: standard cans 12 oz and 16 oz
TexBev Co-Packing & ManufacturingCans only: 8.4 oz sleek, 12 oz sleek, 12 oz standard, 16 oz standard
Wildpack BeverageFills 12 oz standard, 12 oz sleek and 16 oz standard cans; other sizes depending on order size

The plants

Filter these in the directory

Baxters North America
Cincinnati, OH (also KY, OR)
Turnkey contract manufacturer of shelf-stable, ready-to-eat and frozen foods headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio, with plants in Salem, Oregon and East Bernstadt, Kentucky. Uses static and...
Process
RetortTunnel pasteurizationEmulsifying and homogenizingPouch filling
Packaging
Stand-up pouchesSpouted pouchesBags and flexible filmTrays and clamshells+1 more
Minimum order
Not published
SQF (level not verified)
Big Beverages Contract Manufacturing
Huntersville, NC
Canned beverage contract manufacturer in Huntersville, North Carolina, near Charlotte, serving growing beverage brands mainly in the Mid-Atlantic. Batches, blends and carbonates, then...
Process
Cold fillCarbonationTunnel pasteurizationCanning
Packaging
Aluminum cans
Minimum order
Batch sizes run from 5,000 to 20,000 gallons
Takes startups or pilot runs
Carolina Beverage Group
Mooresville, NC (also MN, TX)
High-speed contract canner with production plants in Mooresville, North Carolina, Fort Worth, Texas and Cold Spring, Minnesota, offering cold fill (non-pasteurized, tunnel pasteurized or...
Process
Tunnel pasteurizationHot fillCold fillHTST pasteurizationCarbonationCanning+1 more
Packaging
Aluminum cans
Minimum order
Not published
FSSC 22000
Craftsmith Beverage
Naperville, IL
Contract beverage manufacturer in Naperville, Illinois that brews, ferments, carbonates and cans craft beer, hard seltzer, hemp-derived THC drinks, functional and fermented beverages,...
Process
BrewingFermentationCanningCarbonationTunnel pasteurization
Packaging
Aluminum cansKegs
Minimum order
Pilot runs as small as about 500 gallons; production runs of 930 to 15,000 gallons; MOQs quoted per product and package and described as brand-friendly
Takes startups or pilot runs
Eagle Park Brewing Company
Milwaukee, WI
Milwaukee-area brewery and distillery that co-packs and private labels beer, hard seltzer, RTD cocktails, bottled spirits, hemp-derived THC drinks, energy and functional drinks and soda....
Process
Tunnel pasteurizationCarbonationBrewingFermentationCanningBottling
Packaging
Aluminum cans
Minimum order
Small-run pilots start at 700 cans minimum; standard production runs are 12,000 to 40,000 cans
Takes startups or pilot runs
MetaBrand Corp
Edison, NJ
Independent beverage formulator and manufacturer in Edison, New Jersey with its own plant, running a hot and cold fill PET and glass line and a canning line for alcoholic and...
Process
Hot fillCold fillTunnel pasteurizationCarbonationCanningBottling
Packaging
Plastic bottlesGlass bottlesAluminum cans
Minimum order
Can co-pack as little as 2 to 3 pallets for small batch and pilot runs; productions range from 100 cases to 10,000 cases or more
Takes startups or pilot runs
NOBL Beverages
Seabrook, NH
Seabrook, New Hampshire cold brew coffee and tea producer that runs a 30,000 sq ft facility and co-packs for other brands, with coffee and tea extraction including concentrates, high...
Process
BrewingCanningTunnel pasteurizationCarbonationEmulsifying and homogenizingKettle cooking
Packaging
Aluminum cansKegsBag-in-box
Minimum order
Not published
Takes startups or pilot runs
Portland Bottling Company
Clackamas, OR
Canning co-packer founded in Portland, Oregon in 1924, now running a canning plant in Clackamas that opened in 2020. Fills juice-based drinks, carbonated juices and waters, energy and...
Process
Cold fillTunnel pasteurizationCanning
Packaging
Aluminum cans
Minimum order
Not published
FSSC 22000
Proper Beverage Co.
Hudsonville, MI
Canning co-packer in Hudsonville, Michigan for small, mid-size and startup brands that blends, force carbonates, cold fills and tunnel pasteurizes sodas, tonics, energy and functional...
Process
Cold fillCarbonationTunnel pasteurizationCanning
Packaging
Aluminum cansKegs
Minimum order
Not published
SQF (level not verified)Takes startups or pilot runs
Red Boot Beverage
Des Moines, IA
Des Moines, Iowa co-packer established in 2018 with a 350,000 sq ft plant that cold fills, cans and bottles spirits, RTD cocktails, mocktails, wine, energy and functional drinks, teas,...
Process
Cold fillTunnel pasteurizationCanningBottling
Packaging
Aluminum cansGlass bottlesPlastic bottles
Minimum order
Not published
SQF (level not verified)Takes startups or pilot runs
RTD Co-Pack
Oceanside, CA
Oceanside, California co-packer that brews, batches, carbonates and packages beer, wine, wine and spirit cocktails, seltzers, cold brew coffee and non-alcoholic drinks in aluminum cans...
Process
CanningBottlingCarbonationTunnel pasteurizationBrewing
Packaging
Aluminum cansGlass bottles
Minimum order
1,700 case equivalents or 4,000 gallons per SKU
Takes startups or pilot runs
TexBev Co-Packing & Manufacturing
Fort Worth, TX
Fort Worth, Texas beverage canner for small and mid-size brands that blends, carbonates (up to 4 volumes) and fills energy drinks, sodas, sparkling waters, functional drinks, agua...
Process
Tunnel pasteurizationCanningCarbonationBrewingKettle cooking
Packaging
Aluminum cansBulk and foodservice
Minimum order
Runs from 1,000 gallon trials up to 100,000 gallon runs
SQF (level not verified)Takes startups or pilot runs
Wildpack Beverage
Baltimore, MD (also MI, NV, TX)
Canning co-packer and can supplier for middle-market and growing beverage brands, with Maryland, Texas, Nevada and Michigan locations. Batches, tunnel pasteurizes and cans sodas, energy...
Process
CanningTunnel pasteurization
Packaging
Aluminum cans
Minimum order
Minimum run size is 4,000 gallons per SKU and 6,000 gallons for single-SKU runs
SQF (level not verified)

Read before you call

Other processes

Hot fill co-packers Cold fill co-packers HPP co-packers Aseptic co-packers Retort co-packers Kettle-cooked co-packers Dry blending co-packers

Sources

MetaBrand, Tunnel Pasteurization Guide (Company; a manufacturer listed in this directory, so cited by name and not linked)
Palmer Beverage Systems, Pasteurization Tunnels (Company; read through a search summary, the page itself was not opened in full)

General information, not legal or regulatory advice. Confirm your product's requirements with a process authority or regulator. Plant facts come from each manufacturer's own published information; see the data policy.